Seohun Oh Confirmed as Unified Opposition Candidate... "Securing a Unifying Center for the People Power Party" (Comprehensive)

Oh Se-hoon "I will serve the citizens and create a path to victory"
Ahn Cheol-soo "I accept. I will help diligently"

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Oh Se-hoon of the People Power Party has been confirmed as the unified opposition candidate for Seoul mayor. Ahn Cheol-soo of the People’s Party, who was his competitor, conceded defeat and expressed his intention to "help." With the opposition candidate confirmed, the Seoul mayoral by-election to be held on the 7th of next month will be a head-to-head contest between Park Young-sun of the Democratic Party and Oh.

Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party candidate selected as the unified candidate of the broad opposition for the Seoul mayoral by-election, clenched his fists tightly after finishing a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Office on the 23rd. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

On the 23rd, the working-level negotiation teams for unifying the opposition candidates from the People Power Party and the People’s Party announced the results of the opposition unified candidate opinion poll at the National Assembly. The two parties conducted opinion polls through two polling agencies, Korea Research and Global Research, surveying 3,200 citizens regarding the competitiveness and suitability of the two candidates. Detailed results will not be disclosed in accordance with the Public Official Election Act, which prohibits the publication of opinion polls conducted by political parties or candidates.

Immediately after being confirmed as the unified candidate, Oh held a press conference at the National Assembly, saying, "I humbly accept the hearts of those who chose hope amid anger and despair," and added, "I will devote everything to ensure that the great choice of the citizens will not be regretted and pave the way to victory." He continued, "The Democratic Party is trying to overcome the great public sentiment of Seoul citizens with an incompetent, shameless, arrogant, and petty organization that does not even fear the citizens’ burning anger," and appealed, "Please realize that no great organization can overcome the anger of the people."

After conceding defeat, Ahn stated through his party, "I acknowledge and accept the opinion poll results as the choice of Seoul citizens," and "I will work hard to help the opposition’s victory." Ahn plans to hold a separate press conference at the National Assembly in the afternoon to announce his future election support plans. With Ahn’s acceptance of defeat, Oh will run as the unified candidate, and the ballot box will mark ‘withdrawn’ in Ahn’s candidate section. The two candidates had previously agreed that the losing side would take the position of election campaign committee chairman for the winning side and assist accordingly. Additionally, they agreed to pursue a coalition administration regarding Seoul city governance. It is known that the two candidates have discussed specific directions for coalition administration through several individual meetings.

Kim Jong-in, the emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party, regarding Oh’s victory, said, "Although there were many twists and turns, I thought it was common sense that the candidate would be unified as the People Power Party candidate," and added, "I am grateful that the citizens of Seoul have proven that common sense works in politics." Meanwhile, Park Young-sun of the Democratic Party, who will face Oh in the general election, said, "The structure is clear," and described it as "a choice between a failed mayor, a lying mayor, or Park Young-sun who talks about the future."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.